Has Ronde Barber’s fate been decided?

The Buccaneers met with veteran Ronde Barber last week and the two sides discussed plans for the future. While the team said they would wait for Barber’s decision, it appears their plans do not include him in them. Or does it?

After the team announced Tuesday they signed Pro Bowl safety Dashon Goldson to a five-year deal, it was pretty evident that Barber is not in the Bucs’ plan for safety. There is no way the Bucs will invest money into both Goldson and Mark Barron and expect Barber to basically ride the bench at the safety position.

So how does Barber feel about the Goldson signing? WTSP Channel 10’s Dave Wirth tweeted the following:

Obviously he was in a deep round of golf so we’ll let this slide. But is there another option for Barber to return?

Sure is. He can be the team’s nickel corner. A position where a player comes on out to the field for about half of the defensive plays. Not only can Barber do that, but he has made a living off of playing from the nickel spot.

However, does he want that? Is that what he was even offered?

No one knows the answers to the above questions. Whatever was discussed between the ageless wonder and the team may already be what we are seeing and hearing during free agency.